Freed hostage Joshua Boyle arrested for sexual assault
Canadian man faces 15 charges months after being rescued in Pakistan

A Canadian man who was held hostage by Taliban-linked militants for more than five years has been arrested and is facing a number of serious charges.
Joshua Boyle, 34, was rescued late last year in Pakistan, along with his American wife Caitlan Coleman and their three children, all of whom were born during the time Boyle and Coleman were held captive.
Police in Ottawa have laid 15 charges against Boyle, including two counts of sexual assault, eight counts of assault, two counts of unlawful confinement and one count of uttering death threats.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Boyle has also been charged with causing someone to “take a noxious thing, namely Trazodone” (an anti-depressant), and one count of misleading police.
In a statement to the Toronto Star, Coleman said: “I can’t speak about the specific charges, but I can say that ultimately it is the strain and trauma he was forced to endure for so many years and the effects that that had on his mental state that is most culpable for this”.
Boyle’s lawyer, Eric Granger, told the BBC that Boyle has “never been in trouble before”, and that they would be defending him against the charges.
Canadian authorities have issued two publication bans surrounding the case, including one that prohibits disclosing “information that would identify potential victims or witnesses”, according to CNN.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Boyle is due to appear in court this morning, local time.
-
August 24 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include Putin at Donald Trump's circus, gallons of whitewash, and a foldable cartoon
-
5 Post Office-approved cartoons about mail-in voting
Cartoons Artists take on reverse logic, Putin's election advice, and more
-
The battle of the weight-loss drugs
Talking Point Can Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly regain their former stock market glory? A lot is riding on next year's pills
-
Kabul braces for a waterless future
THE EXPLAINER A confluence of manmade and environmental factors makes the Afghan city the first modern capital to risk running out of groundwater
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctions
The Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?
today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designation
The Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month